We all scream for ice cream!

This week's challenge at the Shabby Tea Room is to use a charm! 

What a fun and different challenge this is. 

I used a small heart charm that matches the mint green in the card. 

I also used that adorable ice cream image from Whimsie Doodles. Cute huh!?! 

I love how this card turned out. A little retro, a little shabby....just too cute! 

Now be sure to check out the Shabby Girls' blogs for more inspiration, they have some amazing creations this week!

Debbie Marcinkiewicz -  Simple Treasures

Charlene Cundy - Expressions of Me!

Melissa Bove - Creating From the Heart

Pattie Goldman - The Pampered Paper Patch

Sheri Holt - My Sheri Cards

Shabby Thanks

My mojo is lacking lately, but eventually ideas come. Its been taking me twice as long to get a card done, and I have a couple that never got finished. It happens to all of us i'm sure. *whine whine*

So I did get this card made for a few fun challenges. 

You might notice the colors coincide with the CR84FN color challenge for this week, thats no accident! I love this color challenge blog, its in my top 5 fav challeng blogs. Their color boards are always gorgeous and inspiring.

see? no lie. 

I used the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge sketch for the layout. 

This one was a fun one.

and the Make it Monday challenge inspired me to try some uber distressed edges. I love the way it looks. I just used my scissors like Lisa did in the video. I kept them closed, that way I wouldn't dull the blade. 

See the yellow scallops? I stamped a large button from Button Boutique in a row to make some fun scallops. They're not perfectly straight but that adds to the charm of it, right? I also used a molded flower I made, If you're interested I can add some to my Etsy shop for you to try out, just let me know. :o)

A couple of jars

 I used PTI Friendship Jars and additions, one of my favorite stamp sets ever, to make these two simple cards

.

This first one uses the marbles? or bubblegum? or candy? and jar from PTI and a noteblock stamp from Purple Onion Stamps. The papers are from October Afternoon- I love them.

I'm entering this first card in the Off the Wall Craftiness color challenge. How could I not be inspired by such a beautiful collage of photos? Oh how I love vintage...and the idea of vintage fairs and carnivals and parties that I get from this color board. (Okay IRL fairs and carnivals are stinky)

 

This card uses the PTI Jar and pickles, and Melissa Frances Kitschy Kitchen papers. This is my FIRST ever attempt at paper piecing. It was fun, I might (maybe just might) do it again...hah

I entered this card over at Moxie Fab World for their paper piecing challenge.

Wishing bird

This little guy is a wishing bird, you might throw your wish into the wind, and he'll find it and catch it, and bring it to you. In the form of a coupon. A cool vintage Crafty Secrets coupon. True story.

I stole a moment to craft yesterday. I've been really busy and haven't been crafting as much as I'd like to..

I love to create, its so fulfilling and satisfying. Its that instant gratification, and the realization of an idea that is all yours. Its a piece of your world that is just right, no matter what.

Well on that note, I took a few minutes to make a card for The Shabby Tea Room challenge this week.

Here is the cozy inspiration photo.

(small secret- I love knit blankets and these ones look absolutely warm and snugly...I could just curl up with these, a good book, and some Twizlers-yum.) 

I had a hard time getting the ribbon to look right in the photos, its actually a little closer to the bird's greenish blue color. I really need to take a photography class. Until then, I'll continue to describe what your are really seeing in these photos. ;o)

Live Laugh Love

Here's a card I managed to make yeserday.... I made it with a few challenges in mind.

The colors are straight from The Color Throwdown 

The layout of the card is from the sketch at Card Patterns 

I also entered this card in the 'Live Laugh Love' challenge at Wee Memories.

Embellished cards

It all started with this Mother card. I made the Mother card for a challenge at Embellish Magazine.

I mean, how could you not be inspired by that color board?

After creating the Mother card, I had all these wonderful papers and embellies out... and then came the Baby cards. 

baby 1

baby 2

baby 3

So now I have this family of retro kitschy vintage-y cards. 

Something different, something fun!

I know, this card it totally different than what you usually see here on my blog, but you know what? I like it. And I had fun making it.

I took me a few days to wrap my head around the color scheme at Moxie Fab World, but I think i got it.

.

I did have to really DIG though my stash though.

I followed the sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You. Sadly, it is their final sketch challenge.

Overall I'm really happy with how it turned out. You might just see more cards like this in the future.

Birthday Cards + 1 Thank You

I used some paper and embellies that have been sitting around needing some love.... I don't like having paper scraps so when I cut into my patterned paper I want to use it all... I almost never look in my scrap drawer anymore...there's too much beautiful paper in the rest of my stash to use scraps! So here are some quick cards with all the same papers, but with different embellishments.

Can I just say that I have a soft spot in my heart for chickies...

This last one is my favorite I think. I love that little radish. 

Joyful

I made this joyful Christmas banner to hang on a lonely wall that is waiting for me to finish some shelves....

The gingerbread man shapes were cut using my Cricut Expression and the "In my Kitchen" cartridge.

 I did a brave thing (for me) and cut up some of my very favorite paper, October Afteroon's "Very Merry" paper collection. I love love love the pretty patterns and colors. 

Each gingerbread man is made up of one layer of Papertrey Ink kraft cardstock and one layer of patterned paper. The cardstock makes it sturdier. 

 

 I made the crepe paper medallions using party steamers... The letters were cut using the Country life cricut cartridge. They were glittered with german glitter glass. I had to use a lot of glossy accents to get that glitter to stick. 

I sewed seam binding ribbon to each gingerbread man arm and tied them all together in bows.

Voila, C'est fini! 

Is anyone interested in a tutorial for the medallion?